"Not much help for tinnitus"

I went to see an ENT doctor who did no tests whatsoever and said go away, live with it. The doctor seemed moody, I felt had little knowledge on the topic and didn't run any tests.

Thankfully, I have family in Turkey and they took me to a private doctor over there and he did every test possible, literally. He stuck a camera into my Eustacian tube and found that my adenoids were enlarged and that I might have allergic tinnitus.

He prescribed a steroid for the nose and if this didn't work, he prescribed as a plan b, vaster to support the blood arteries. Had I lived there, he said he would not stop until my tinnitus had gone. An amazing doctor.

Responses

Response from
The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 5 years ago

Thank you for posting your feedback about our hospital. It is disturbing to hear about your experience of our ENT services.

It is difficult to comment on your specific case without your own details and reviewing your medical notes, but if you wished to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on free phone 0800 073 0510 we would happily look into the issues you have raised.

Speaking in general terms, we are surprised that you did not have a hearing test performed since this would normally be done for all patients with tinnitus. If the doctor appeared moody, then we can only apologise for this. We would like an opportunity to take this up with the individual doctor if you do decide to get in touch with PALS.

We can assure you, and all our ENT patients, that our senior clinical staff have an excellent working knowledge of tinnitus and its management. If you saw a more junior doctor in the clinic, then they would have had access to a senior doctor to discuss your case and would have done so if they felt it necessary.

We do aim to offer our patients the highest standards of care and we are sorry if we have fallen short of those standards on this occasion. We welcome all feedback and comments are acted upon as part of our ongoing commitment to improving patient care and experience. Your concerns will be discussed at the next unit management meeting so that staff in ENT can learn valuable lessons from your experience.